<p>My grades are good, mainly my English, Maths & Sciences. I get straight As for them, although sometimes they're A1s (75-100) and sometimes A2s (70-75). My English sometimes drops to B3, though. However I don't fare as well in Geography and History (especially the latter)</p>
<p>I probably can't afford the fees so I'll need to apply for F.A. I want to enrol in computer science.</p>
<p>I probably can't get into Raffles Junior College or Hwa Chong Junior College, the top 2 JCs in Singapore. These 2 JCs produce the top students in Singapore who head on to the Ivy League/HYPSM. The education there involves leadership opportunities, which Stanford looks for in applicants. </p>
<p>I googled for more information on getting into Stanford and found a Wikianswers page which says that Stanford doesn't just look at academic results and look for the best students, instead they look for the best people with potential to be successful and rich in life.</p>
<p>Since I can't turn myself into a genius overnight and produce outstanding results, I'm thinking, maybe I can work on the "achivements" bit.</p>
<p>Just want to ask for advice on how I can improve my chances. I really really want to get into Stanford!</p>
<p>P/S: You probably should know that Singapore is one of the most represented countries in US colleges, so competition is tough.</p>
<p>Hi I’m also from Singapore! Yes, because Singaporean applicants tend to very strong stats. Many have won awards at national/international level. It is true you have to be holistic, but SAT scores and school grades still come first. First of all, you need to pull up your grades, esp when you are in J1/J2, and do well in SATs(like get some prep bks). When I was in lower sec, I wasn’t doing well, esp at Math and Physics, but then improved and kept getting 80+ in upper sec. Be motivated. And I’m sure that sometimes students not from HCI(my sch, btw) or RI get into Stanford/other top unis as well. The important thing is to work hard and benefit from the opportunities that come by. Take the most demanding coursework available. You sound like a math/science person so I think you can try to win awards at national olympiads and maybe RSI/ISSEF/international olympiads etc as well if you qualify. Show passion and dedication to at least one CCA and take up leadership positions. Volunteer(preferably all year round) to at least one organization you are interested in. Do internships and part time work if you still have time to spare. Build a good relationship to at least 2 of your JC teachers since you would need recs from them. A few months before you plan to apply, I think you should start on your essays. Make you stand out, and let them get to know you. I mean, Stanford receives tons of applicants with near perfect SAT scores, top GPA, medal at international olympiad etc so it is better to have some sort of ‘hook’. It is something other applicants are unlikely to have. But please don’t do it only for the sake of the application. I know that this sounds very stressful, but bear in the mind that the Singaporean pool IS very competitive. And of course you also need to consider other schools since nobody is a shoo-in at HYPSM.</p>